


With Love Comes Pain

by JediFrog



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediFrog/pseuds/JediFrog
Summary: Since accepting that she's in love with Adrien, Marinette has tried getting closer to him. However, he seems to be avoiding her. What's even more confusing is that Lila has been acting nice to her. Both occurrences start to make sense once Nino tells her Lila's threatened to make Marinette's life miseable unless Adrien stops talking to her. As Ladybug, she is really starting to get stressed out. Without Master Fu, she no longer has guidance, and Hawkmoth is only getting more devious and ruthless. She does her best to act tough for Chat, but she'sgrown tired of it.Due to Nino being busy with DJing and Alya, Adrien has been left without his best friend. Plagg goes to look for cheese in the mansion one night after Adrien forgot to get him some. When he comes back, he's acting weird and refuses to tell Adrien why. Adrien has been wanting to talk to Marinette more, but he's afraid of Lila going through with the threat to ruin her life. Though he may not be allowed to speak to Marinette, that doesn't mean Chat Noir isn't. When he started talking to Marinette, he didn't expect to get adopted by her family.And when Plagg finally explains what he saw, Adrien's life comes crashing down. He has some bad luck, huh?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	With Love Comes Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a story ever, so please excuse if the writing is bad. I've been reading a whole lot of Miraculous fan fics recently, and so many of them are so good. I had been trying to find one that was made after the season 3 finale, had Marinette's family become like Chat's second family, and had Adrien find out who Hawkmoth was before they defeated him, but I couldnt find any, so I said "I've never written a story, but screw it, I'll write it myself." I've had ideas here and there about how I would want my own story to go, what plot points it would have, and how things would be handled in the world. I really hope I can make things people will enjoy. Like I said, I'm new to writing, so if you have any tips, suggestions, or constructive feedback/criticisms, I would love to hear it so I can make it better, the help would be very much appreciated. I hope you enjoy the story.

"This is the 16th day." Marinette watched the ground as she walked home from school. She was doing her best to keep her spirits high. She didn't want to become akumatized, but she didn't know how much longer she could take it. "This is the 16th day Adrien's avoided me, Tikki"

She didn't know why, but Adrien hadn't said a single word to her for more than two weeks. He had looked fine when he walked into class that day, but when he laid eyes on her, his smile dropped and he looked away. He didn't even give his normal _'Hey Marinette.'_ Whenever she wasn't around he seemed fine, but the second he saw her, his happy persona faded and he would give some excuse to leave. Whenever Alya and Nino made plans for the four of them, he gave an excuse why he couldn't go.

_That_ part wasn't abnormal - his father berally let him go anywhere - but what _was_ was the excuses he gave to not go. She knew his schedule by heart, so she knew the excuses he gave about having fencing and Chinese lessons were just lies. He never lied about why he couldn't go before, so...why now?

They had grown so close after the class trip to New York, too. Multiple times Adrien expressed how much he enjoyed her company. He called her a great friend so many times, and talked about how much he enjoyed being around her. They had gotten even closer at school during the first week after they came back from New York, too. But then the Monday after that first week, he started avoiding her.

_What had changed after that week?_

Marinette had already gone through hundreds of possibilities in her head, all about how she's done something wrong and how she messed up and how Adrien hates her now, and of course, Tikki was always there to comfort her and tell her that she was wrong, that Adrien doesn't hate her, that she's overthinking it, and that there has to be another explanation. But...

"Maybe it's because I-"

_"Marinette!"_ Tikki interrupted her before she could start. "I've already told you multiple times, you didn't do anything wrong. It's not your fault. There has to be another reason Adrien is acting this way."

"I know Tikki, but..." Marinette stood right in front of the door to the bakery. She couldn't see any other reason for his behavior besides her doing something wrong.

Why else would he avoid her?

"I understand, Marinette, but there has to be another reason." She smiled warmly at Marrinette. "You just have to trust me on this, ok?"

Marinette sighed. "Ok, Tikki."

Marinette opened the door, chiming the bell above it. "Marinette?" She looked up to see her mom poke her head out of the back of the bakery.

"Hi mama." She tried to put some cheer in her voice, but it came out with a dull tone.

Sabine looked at her daughter with a worried expression. "Is he still not talking to you?"

Marinette looked back down. "I'm going to go up to my room."

Marinette walked past Sabine and up to her living room, then up the stairs to the attic that was her room, closing the trap door behind her. She looked up at her room, staring at her wall of Adrien, her heart sinking. She missed him so much. She wished he would stop avoiding her, or that she could fix whatever she had done.

'No!' She shook her head. 'I have to trust Tikki that it's not my fault. There has to be another reason.' A part of her wanted to laugh. She didn't really believe that. She knew that she _had_ to have done something wrong. As sweet as Tikki's words were, they were just wishful thinking.

Marinette shook her head again. She needed to distract herself. She looked down at her sewing supplies. She hadn't touched any of it in over a week now.

'Maybe I should.....

'No...I'm not in the mood for sew-'

"Marinette!!!" Tikki pushed her face to look at something.

A familiar black butterfly fluttered towards her.

Marinette immediately knew what to do. She started thinking about New York again. How grateful Adrien had been that she had gotten his father to let him go. How much Adrien seemed to enjoy New York. How they danced, floating the moonlight together. His words to her when they kept getting stuck because of the automatic doors. She felt bliss wash over her.

The black butterfly started flying away, her negative emotions absent. For now. 

Both Marinette and Tikki gave a long sigh when it left through her window.

"That's the seventh time now, Marinette." Tikki pointed out with a concerned look.

"I know, Tikki. I just...I can't help it. I miss him so much." Marinette climbed up to her bed and laid on her back. "I just wish-"

BZZZZ!

Her phone started to buzz. When she pulled it out, she saw that it was Alya trying to video call her. Wasn't she spending time with Nino right now? Marinette watched her phone ring for 10 seconds, debating whether or not to answer. She reluctantly pressed the answer button. When she did, she saw Alya looking down with a saddened expression while Nino paced in the background, face sketched with worry.

"Are you sure we should tell her Alya? I know you said she could handle it, but Adrien really didn't want to risk it. We both know how she is with-"

Her eyes bugged out at the sound of Adrien's name. "What do you mean Adrien didn't want to risk it?!?! Risk what?!?!" She blurted out, interrupting Nino. She couldn't think of anything that could possibly be risky for him to tell her.

Alya sighed, looking back up at Nino. "Well, it's too late to back out now." Alya looked back at the phone. "Hey Marinette. Nino has something he needs to tell you."

Marinette's face became plastered with concern. "Is it about why Adrien's been avoiding me?" She sounded so crushed.

Nino stared at her for a good 10 seconds before a defeated sigh escaped him and he nodded. Marinette just stared, anxiously awaiting his next words.

"Have you noticed how Lila has been acting around you lately?"

Marinette looked quizzically at Nino. "Yes?" Lila had been acting a lot nicer to Marinette recently. Just a couple months ago she had tried to get Marinette expelled from school, but now she was sometimes even helping Marinette, consoling her about Adrien. "What does that have to do with Adrien?"

Wait, _they_ noticed Lila's change?

"Well, Adrien explained why the Thursday after he started avoiding you. He asked me not to tell you. He wasn't even supposed to be telling _me_. He's afraid that if you find out what Lila was going to do..." Nino and Alya looked at each other, and then back at Marinette.

A combination of worry and anger crossed Marinette's features. Had Lila done something to him? Did she turn him against her? (Wait, no, he knows she's a liar too.) What if she had threatened to kidnap him?! (Would she even be able to do that with Adrien's bodyguard around?) "What did she do?!"

Nino chuckled nervously. "Well, she kind of threatened to completely...ruin your life...unless he stopped being your friend..."

Marinette just stared blankly at the phone. Lila's words from months earlier rang in her ears, the threat Lila made, that she'd make Marinette's life a living nightmare if she didn't give up on Adrien. And now she's _brought Adrien_ into this mess?! _"That little-"_

"Marinette!" Alya's voice rang through. "Please promise me you won't do anything about this, Lila can't know that any of us know about this, especially you."

"Why not?! How can we let her get away with doing something like this?! It was fine when it was just between me and her, but now she's brought Adrien into this! Sweet, kind, amazing Adrien. He doesn't deserve to be brought into the middle of this. I swear, the next time I see her-"

"Marinette, she said that if he told _anyone_ , especially _you_ , that she'd go through with ruining your life!" Alya tried to reason with her. "Please!"

"I don't care! She can make my life as terrible as she wants, but threatening Adrien is crossing the line!" Marinette was pissed. Lila had been lying and deceitful since the day she met her, but she never imagined she would stoop so low as to threaten _him_. She's done with Lila's bullshit. The second she saw her the next day-

"Marinette, how do you think Adrien would feel if he was the cause of Lila doing this?" Alya again tried reasoning with her. "Imagine how guilty he would feel!"

Marinette looked at Alya shocked. "You know just as well as I do that Lila's the one to blame, not him!"

"That's not how he sees it." Nino watched the ground like it had mesmerized him as he spoke. "The dude didn't want me to tell you because he knew how you'd react. He knows how much you hate Lila, and knew that he wouldn't be able to stop you from confronting her. He..." Nino looked back up at Marinette, distress evident in his eyes. "He doesn't want to be the reason you have to suffer. He can't stand the idea that Lila would do anything bad to you because of him. He said you don't deserve anything like that. He'd hurt and would feel so guilty if anything like that happened."

Marinette looked at Nino for a few moments. Would he really...She looked away from the phone, her vision starting to blur from the tears that were starting to form. She didn't want him to blame himself for anything. It's not his fault, he's too perfect for it to be his fault. Lila's the one who put this on him. But she wasn't sure if she would be able to convince him of that. Her lips curled into a soft smile. He really is so sweet. So perfect.

"Ok, fine." Marinette looked back at the phone. "For Adrien's sake, I won't do anything."

Thanks, dude." Nino gave Marinette a thankful smile.

Marinette sighed. "I wish we could do _something_." That's when it hit her. "Wait, so does that mean you two actually _know_ that Lila really is a liar?!"

"Girl, I figured out you were right about that girl when she tried to get you expelled!" Alya gave a soft chuckle. "I know you hate her, but I also know you aren't the type of person to steal from anyone, and you're definitely not the type to hurt anyone."

Marinette smiled at that. "Thanks, Alya."

Marinette sat there for a good 30 seconds, thinking about everything that she just learned. Could she really just let Lila get away with this? Adrien didn't deserve to get caught up in all of this...but he didn't deserve to blame himself for any of it either. She couldnt stand that idea.

"I have to go, I still have schoolwork I need to do," she sadly explained.

"Alright girl. I'll let you go. Cya."

"Cya."

Marinette ended the call and laid her phone down on her stomach. She looked over the the mini-Adrien wall over her bed. Tikki came into view, her face softened with sorrow. "I'm so sorry, Marinette."

Marinette sighed. "It's not your fault Tikki. I just wish I could do something."

"I know, Marinette, but there's nothing you can do for now."

Marinette continued to stare at her mini-Adrien wall a moment longer.

"You should get your homework done."

Marinette looked up at the spotted Kwamii. "You're right, Tikki."

Sliding off her bed, Marinette got started on her physics homework.

**Author's Note:**

> I got al whole lot of help with fixing the writing in this chapter from the people in the Miraculius Fanworks discord. Those of you who helped me, thank you so much, I'm so grateful for your help, and it's helped me so much.
> 
> A big thanks to:
> 
> Their Ao3s:  
> Cyberchaos  
> Shadowknight763  
> Khanofallorcs  
> DarkBalance  
> and Summersprit
> 
> I'm not sure how often I'll get chapters done, but I'll try to not let any of you haging for too long.


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